Here are a couple of ideas I've come up with for game prototypes!

It's All Connected

'It's all Connected' is a top-down puzzle game. You play as a crazy conspiracy theorist who uses their corkboard and a metric ton of red string to come up with inane theories about the levels they play on. God is a fickle mistress however, and decides that whatever this theorist comes up with is actually true. This means that you, as the theorist, can change the rules of a given level before you enter. You have to come up with crazy theories in order to solve the puzzles in the level. Think 'Baba is You', but with funny conspiracy theories. Before each level you can view your corkboard, where you can make connections between the various objects/agents in the level. i.e person 1 has a knife, etc.  

I think this game has a very unique premise, it will appeal to people who enjoy puzzle games, and can play on some classic crime/mystery tropes. Creative people will especially enjoy this as they find unique solutions to puzzles.  

This game will be successful because of the interesting premise and creative puzzles. The theme is also pretty unique which will make it stand out. The premise lends itself to funny scenarios, so the game in general should have broad appeal.

Because this idea is not completely fleshed out, the prototype would focus on completing gameplay and getting a more solid direction. I think it has a good direction, but mechanics and the core gameplay loop absolutely need to be ironed out before moving forward with a prototype.

Baked Bads

A rival bakery has opened up across the street, and it falls to you to infiltrate their bakery and create the worst baked goods ever - baked bads. This game will play like a simple cooking game ('Cooking Mama', ... etc), but rather than following the recipe's orders, the player will try to create terrible bread and baked goods - all to drive customers to their own store. However, if you aren't subtle with how you ruin the bread, then you will be fired. This is a balancing act where the player doesn't want to be found out, but also wants to create the best baked bads possible. Don't fret though, this game is also a roguelite. Failed runs will lead to permanent upgrades, enhancing your ability to make terrible bread without being noticed, and letting you move further up the chain of command for the next run.  

Baked Bads will appeal to players looking for a light-hearted roguelike. This is not intended for players who only enjoy cooking games - as it is unlikely that they will enjoy the roguelike and strategic elements that come along for the ride.   

This game would be successful because it plays on the cooking genre in an interesting way, with a fun/silly premise. The mechanics will be relatively simple but the balancing of gameplay allows for skill expression, and the roguelike permanent progression will keep players playing for a while.  

The prototype would need to place focus on ironing out the mechanics, as I am not 100% sure how they would work logistically. The core loop would need to be figured out - how do players cook, and what agency do they have over the baked bads? Finally the prototype would hopefully include some of the roguelite features, such as the progression over multiple runs, to give some more depth to the game.